Ballerina
by Rocku
Summary: Infinite hiatus
1. tippy toes

**Ballerina**

by cherry

_She can dance_

_Up on the stage_

_Like she's moving inside a diamond_

_Where it protects her._

'Ballerina', OLIVIA Lufkin

>>>>>

"Do you know what you did?"

Murdoc took a sip of his beer, belched, and then made it resume it's position on his protruding gut. "No mate, what did me do?"

"You took the geep out for a drive, came home, and then DIDN'T put it back in the car park."

Murdoc picked some lint out of his belly button. "And this is important because...?"

"It snowed last night."

"Well then I guess you better get shoveling, eh?"

2D opened the closet with force. He threw a jacket, gloves, and boots at the ageing rockstar lounging around on the couch. Murdoc ducked one boot but the second one hit him square in the jaw. "Ow! Don't you bloody throw boots at me!"

"And don't come back until you're done!"

>>>>>

"Lousy, spiky haired son-uv-a-bitch..." Murdoc mumbled as he shoveled snow from under and around the geep. He'd been working for an hour and had almost cleared a path from the geep into the car park. He couldn't wait to finish so he could go inside and resume drinking his beer in his underwear while watching Saturday morning cartoons.

"Done!" He threw the shovel to the ground and then ran over to the geep, ready to drive it into the car park. He stopped in his tracks when he realized he'd left the keys on the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Shit." He turned and walked quickly back into the corridor and through the door that led to the eating quarters. He walked into the kitchen and began his search.

"What?" 2D's head poked out from behind the refrigerator door, obviously looking for something to feed himself.

"Keys?"

"Table."

Low-and-behold, there they were. Murdoc grabbed them and made his way out to the car park. On his way he got a glimpse inside the living room. There he saw Russell sitting in his favorite spot on the couch, watching T.V.

"Oi!" He called, "You'd better be up and moved by the time I get back in!"

"Fuck you ya pussy eatin' mutha fucka."

"Fair enough."

Back outside, Murdoc got into the geep, put in the keys, and resumed to drive it into the car park. He parked it in the usual space close to the corridor entrance. He took the keys out and put them in his pocket, but didn't exit from the geep right away.

"So what can I bloody do today?" He said out loud, to no one in particular. He COULD go back and watch T.V., but he didn't feel like dealing with Russell at the moment. Might as well do both of them a favor and not make an awkward situation worse. He thought of hanging out with 2D, but the singer was usually doing something more constructive and didn't feel like being bothered or disturbed by Murdoc's crazy and almost always immature views of what he considered 'fun.'

"Russell and 2D are both rubbish..." He said to himself. "Why, the only one who ever likes to spend time with me is..." He snapped his fingers. "Of course! I'll hang out with ol' Noodle girl!"

>>>>>>

"Hey, is Noodle-luv in her room?"

2-D peered at Murdoc over the magazine he was reading, then his eyes traveled slowly to the kitchen floor before going back to the text on the pages.

"You're tracking mud."

"Bloody 'ell, mate..."

2-D snickered suddenly. "You're tracking mud, Muds..."

"Tsk. Fuck off. Where's the little bugger at?"

"Noodle should be in 'er room, but clean up dat shit first, eh? I dun wanna step in it."

>>>>>

After Mudoc's cleaning spree, the mop was left dingy and dirty, quarts of mud appeared to be trapped in it's depths. He placed the mop back in the bucket.

"All finished, MOM."

2-D put the magazine down and scrutinized the newly washed floor. "Very nice! Now you can go out and play."

"I'm gunna put rat poison in your food."

"Yea, yea..."

>>>>>

"Noodle-luv! Wanna play some X-box with ol' Mudsy? He got your favorite game, 'e did!

"Oi! Ya little bugger, why don'cha answer me?" He knocked a little harder as if to trigger a response, even though he knew she wasn't in there. A normal Noodle would hear the word "X-box" and come running. To quench his curiosity, Mud's opened her door (which was never locked, because Noodle caring about privacy was like Murdoc caring about hygiene; it just didn't happen) and peered inside.

No Noodle.

Although Shaun's door was open. The giant head was sleeping from lack of nutrients. Muds always wondered how someone could sleep in a room with a giant decapitated head. But Noodle was cool like that. She wasn't scared of anything.

Mud's closed the door and whistled to himself as he walked down the corridor and back into the kitchen.

"She ain't in her room, mate"

He opened the fridge and scanned the contents. When he didn't get a response, he closed the door and looked at the table, but 2-D wasn't there anymore.

Muds hated days like this. Days where people seemed to ignore or avoid him, for one reason of another. It happened almost all the time, either Murdoc did something to offend them or they came up with a reason to be upset. It seemed to be the later, for Murdoc didn't remember doing something that openly offended anyone in the studio, or caused them to be as irritable as they were acting. If only he could find Noodle. She was always nice to him.

He kicked the door of a cabinet, not for destructive purposes, but merely to vent some of the clenching feelings welling up in his chest. He stuck his hand in his pocket to make sure he still had the key to his Winnebago. Sure enough, it was there. He decided to go back to his crap-shack, a.k.a. "Home" and see what was on his little black and white t.v. He smiled, remembering that he still had half a beer in his fridge. Besides, with Noodle no where to be found, the Studio was a boring place.

He walked through the corridor and out to the car park, stopping once he got out to take a whiff of the air. His mouth curved up into a crooked smile at the scent of gasoline and smoke. A comfort aroma, at least for Murdoc. Slowly, his head turned left and the Winnebago came into view.

>>>>>

The Christmas tree air fresheners did nothing to hide the smell of tobacco and liquor. It was beyond Murdoc why they were even there in the first place. The only reason he didn't move them was because they looked pretty punk rock.

He threw his keys on the kitchen table and then put his mouth on the faucet and took a gulp of water. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and then searched for his half empty can of beer in the fridge. Remembering he finished it last night, he slammed the door closed and kicked it. He would have to pick some more up at the market. Again.

He trudged into his bedroom, stripping his clothes and throwing them on the floor in the process. When he reached his room and opened the door, he was clad only in his briefs, scratching his belly and burping. He climbed into his bed, but slowly stopped when he realized something was wrong. He turned his head and scanned his room, a feeling of paranoia creeping up his spine. When his eyes fell on the clumped up bulging covers on his bed, he stopped, and stared. Something in the covers twitched and gave a small shudder. He brought his hand up cautiously and yanked the blankets off the bed, but the sight in front of him was anything but threatening. A low noise came from deep within his throat and escaped through his mouth.

"Awwww..."

Noodle shivered at the sudden cold. She moved her hands around the bed, searching for the covers. When she didn't find them, she opened her eyes and searched the room, her gaze falling on Muds. His lips curved up into a smile as he looked at her surprised reaction. So unbelievably cute.

"Mudsy!" She jumped on him, sending them both to the floor. Noodle was thirteen now, and her body was getting bigger. Muds was still looking for a way to explain to her that she can't jump on him anymore. She was a little too heavy now.

"Noodle-luv, you're a big girl now. Ya can't jus jump on ol' scoundrels like me. I can't carry you anymore."

Noodle laughed, but Murdoc knew she didn't understand. Noodle had been getting a little better with her English, but she hadn't made much progress, and was very stubborn when it actually came to speaking it. It was always a challenge to understand what she wanted or was trying to say.

Muds got up off the floor only to realize he had stripped down to his underwear. He began frantically looking for his pants but not before Noodle noticed and decided to make a move.

"Poke!" She jabbed her index finger in his pot belly before laughing and running off.

"Ow! Why you little...!" Muds zipped up his fly and rushed out of the bedroom. He found her sitting on the floor in the Winnebago front, eyeing a certain game system in front of the T.V.

She pointed to it. "X-box!"

"Ha! Yea, an' guess what your ol' friend Mudsy got..." Noodle put her hands over her mouth, already expecting what Murdoc was taking out of a gaming rent shop game. She could hardly keep her excitement in check as she jumped up and down. She grabbed the game out of Murdoc's hand and hugged it to her chest.

Disemboweler 4. The game where ugly-ass zombies disembowel each other with rusty chainsaws. Noodle's favorite game.

"Let's put it in, eh? Hey, hey! Stop spinning around an' get over here!"

Noodle was twirling around on her tippy toes, like a ballerina, holding the game out in front of her. She heard the aggravated tone in Murdoc's voice, and soon stopped her dance, walking over to him and the X-box. He took the game from her and put it in the system. Noodle settled down in a comfy position next to Murdoc, with her head resting on his bare shoulder, and watched the title screen flash on.

"Oh!" Noodle dropped her controller and jumped up off the floor to run into the kitchen. She turned and looked at Muds. "Food?"

He shook his head, "Naw, luv. I'm good."

She shrugged and walked over to Murdoc's petite table. She took a chair and dragged it over to the counter. She stepped up on it and began rummaging around in a cabinet. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she moved onto the second one. Muds watched her work. He decided this was a good a time as any to contemplate how she could have gotten into his Winne. He always left the door locked, on account of 2-D always trying to sneak in and steal a fag. So the door was out of the question. Could she have come in through the window? Noodle skipped over once more, disrupting him from his thoughts. She was equipt with a bag of chocolate chip cookies. She stood in front of him for a while, just giggling and munching on cookies.

"Uh, Noodle. 'Owed you git in 'ere?"

Noodle stared in silence, the only sound being heard the crunch, crunch, crunch of the cookies in her mouth.

"...because I lock tha door, see?" Murdoc pointed to the doorknob. "LOCK." He said it loudly, hoping that Noodle would understand a little easier. She only stared.

"Cookie?"

"No Noodle, I don't want a goddamn cookie."

>>>>>>

This story is strange for me. I'd like to continue but only if people like it. There will be sex in later chapters, or at least I want there to be. I'd like people's opinions on the matter, though. Whether they think it would be too risky, considering Noodle is so young. Tell me what you think.


	2. sack o' potatoes

Ballerina

by Rocku

_Tears and pink marigold dreams_

_For the girl struggling in between_

_The sun is made to turn around_

_It lights the stage for her_

"ballerina" - OLIVIA Lufkin

>>>

"Ima' need a word wit' you." Murdoc pointed a finger at 2-D and motioned for him to come closer. Murdoc was standing next to the geep, and 2-D in the doorway to his bedroom. The blue-haired brainache stretched his joints and arched his back like a cat, yawning in the process. Murdoc heard various pops and cracks, and cringed. He hated when 2-D did that.

"Awright, but make it quick, eh? Space Invader Monkeys is on in... hey! Wait a tick..."

Murdoc took 2-D by the hair and dragged him into the Winne. He locked the door with his free hand while 2-D violently pushed away from the older man. He stumbled to a mirror on the wall and began fixing his hair.

"You ruin'd it is wot you did..."

"Listen, I need to talk to you about... ah, Christ almighty!" Murdoc began feverishly wiping his hand on his pants. "Ou' needs that much jelly for they 'air! Honestly!"

"Well, 'ow else am I gonna git it to stand op like this?"

"... mighty Lord, it's everywhere!" Murdoc ran into the bathroom and washed his hands and his arms. He came out drying himself with a towel, 2-D still perfecting his hair in the mirror. Murdoc threw the towel to the floor.

"Sit down 'ere..." Murdoc pointed to a spot on the lopsided and stained couch.

2-D was busy with a single strand, trying to decide which side it would look better on. When he thought it looked alright, he smoothed it down with his hand and then stepped back to examine his work. He turned to the right, then the left, then...

"Fuckin' get over 'ere butt-monkey..."

"I'm not sittin' there..."

"Bloody homo..." Murdoc picked the towel up and put it over the spot where 2-D was going to sit. "There! Is clean!"

2-D cautiously made his way over to the couch and sat down on the towel. He put his hands in his lap so as not to dirty them on anything else. When Murdoc was certain that he had the singer's attention, or as much as 2-D was capable of, he began.

"Do you remember if Noodle-girl made a copy of tha key to my Winne?"

"Muds, thanks to tha pills I pop, I can't remember what happen'd five minutes ago..."

"Well try! Or would I have more luck talkin' ta Russ?"

"Go wit' Russ. 'E knows Noodle better than any ov os..."

>>>

Russell had his video game turned up all the way, and Murdoc could clearly hear it blasting through the door as he walked down the hallway to the drummer's bedroom. When he got to the entrance, he knocked as hard and as loud as he could so as to be heard. He noticed the volume lower and heard (or felt) Russell's heavy footsteps walking toward him. Soon, the bedroom door swung open and there in front of him was the mighty ox.

"What?"

"'Ello Russ ol' chum! Mind if I come in?"

"Well actually..." Too late. Murdoc had already squeezed past the drummer's awesome girth and made his way into the sleeping quarter. Russ sighed and closed the door. He joined a transfixed Murdoc starring at the T.V. screen. The title of the game was flashing.

"Hey! This 'ere is Noodle's favorite game. Did'ja know?"

"Shit dawg, how 'dya think she got as good as she is at playing it? I taught her all the moves."

Murdoc crossed his arms, "Speaking of Noodle..."

"Look man, whateva' she did, it ain't my problem. I can't be watchin' her 24/7."

Murdoc smirked. Contrary to popular belief, Russ and him were very good friends. They both were quick with their comebacks and words, and Murdoc liked having someone around that he would consider an equal to him, or a worthy opponent. Their relationship was never strained or awkward, it was always comfortable. Murdoc thought about why this might be, and he finally came to the conclusion that it was because they were so similar.

"No, no..." he shook his head. "Is' nothin' like that, I was jus' curious as to 'ow she would get into me Winne. Ya know?"

"Um, maybe she walked through the door..."

Murdoc frowned. "That's not wha' I meant. I always leave tha door locked."

"You're lookin' way to into it. An' you know I can't ask her, she wouldn't understand."

Murdoc got a wicked glint in his eye. "Yeah, but I know someone who will..." He starred at Russell's forehead. Russell, finally getting what Muds was going for, slouched his shoulders and let out a sigh.

"Shit."

>>>

"Noodle!"

"Del! How are you?" She jumped on him in a big hug, obviously excited to see him. He hadn't come out in a few days. Del smiled as he put Noodle back on the floor. Every word that came out of her sounded like English to him, and vis versa. There were some benefits to being dead.

"Noodle, I have something to ask you."

"Shoot." Noodle began walking down the corridor to the kitchen, Del floating next to her all the while.

"How did'ja get into Murdoc's Winnebago?"

Noodle, without even looking up at him, reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver object.

"Copied the key."

"Ah. Well, see ya."

"Wait, don't you want..." She turned around, but the blue ghost had disappeared through one of the many walls. The corridor was still cold from his presence, but it was slowly dispersing.

Noodle shrugged, walked through the kitchen door, and then she too disappeared from the hall.

>>>

"Pay up, mutha fucka!"

"Well, which is it? 'Owed she get in?"

"She copied the key now make with the porno!"

Murdoc grumbled and reached into a plastic bag on the floor. He pulled out two candy bars, a pack of cigs, and three porno mags. He handed them to Del.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about..." Del took his prizes and floated out of the room. "Pleasure doing business with ya!"

Murdoc threw the empty plastic bag in the garbage and proceeded to pace up and down Russell's room. Russell, bored with the situation, was sitting in his big, comfy chair, his whole body slouched and his head in his hands.

"So she copied tha key... I tell ya Russ, that kids got guts..."

"She probably didn't know what she was doing..." said Russ, for lack of anything better.

Murdoc scrunched his face up, his eyes toward the floor in thought. "She's smarter than we let 'er on to be."

"Whatever. As interesting as this is, I think it's time for you to go..."

>>>

Murdoc emptied his bladder over the toilet, his eyes busy scrutinizing the wall in front of him. There were cracks where bugs would scurry in and out of, and it obviously needed more paint. Not to him. He liked the look of chipped paint. Russ, however, didn't. 2-D wouldn't know either way. Murdoc laughed, thinking about creating a special needs program in Kong, something that 2-D would benefit from greatly.

To Murdoc, bathroom time was thinking time. He could ponder the events of the day alone in his own... cubical, of sorts. Today, however, he was doing his best to avoid thinking about the one thing he probably should have been.

Noodle.

She would dance in and out of his thoughts often, but that was all it was. He would never dwell on her longer than that. Not that he didn't care about her. He did. She was his little angle. It was that simple, so there was really nothing else to think about.

Recently, he was disturbed at how often she would stay and linger in his head. Now, standing over the toilet, he did his best to redirect his thoughts from her.

_I should give 2-D my shirt that got ripped. He wouldn't care if it was ripped, hell, he probably wouldn't even notice... that fuckin' little... Russ would, then he would ask 2-D why he was wearing a ripped shirt. Then it would all come back to me. Noodle would think it funny though... _

He zipped up quickly and then walked out of the stall. He walked over to the sinks and held his hands under the running water. He never washed them. He didn't know what he was doing.

His strides were long and quick upon entering the kitchen. Why the kitchen? It was a room, which meant you had some place to be. He was surprised to find the whole gang in there. It gave him a quick tap on the inside when they were all able to be together like this, even if it was only for a few seconds, and even if they would have preferred not to have his company.

He immediately went for Noodle, who was laying under the table in her usual spot, and dragged her out by her skinny ankles. He threw her over his shoulder so that her rump was in the hair and began to pace back and forth in the said area.

"Alright then, which one o' you blokes ordered a sack of potatoes?" He set Noodle down on the table, as if she were a bundle of food, and then began opening an imaginary letter and holding his hands out as if there were a piece of paper in them. His eyes scanned the imaginary text. "It says here it's an order for Mr. Tusspot. But that's strange... Dullard never gets any mail."

"Ooooo..." Russell's voice came from the window, letting 2D know how served he really was. Hi eyes were focused on a luminous figure hovering over their garbage cans, picking out the most disgusting food it could find. The light from the sunset tinted it's green skin a bright orange. Russell lifted up a rifle, "c'mere you sonuva bitch..."

"Does anyone know why 2D doesn't get any mail?" Murdoc eyed the brainache and watched him dangle his feet over the counter. He closed his eyes and began to rub them with his thumb and pointer finger. He rubbed them so hard Murdoc thought his eyeballs might roll back into his head. Well, if they hadn't already.

"...is it cause I don' have any fri..."

"'Cause you don' have any friends! Wooo!" Murdoc clapped his hands and started to do an embarrassing dance around the kitchen, but 2D and Russell didn't seem to notice. Either that or they were just so used to it. Noodle, on the other hand, her body was jiggling on the kitchen table from laughing so hard. "Wooo!" She imitated him. She then got up and started dancing with him, but her idea of dancing was throwing her hands up in the air and slipping on the linoleum floor. In fact, the only dancing she could do was on her tippy toes.

>>>

Murdoc couldn't remember falling asleep on the couch. In fact, he could specifically remember walking through the car park to his Winne... but of course how could've just dreamt it. While he was on the couch. He woke up at two in the morning to a big, moon shaped face starring at him. He was surprised at how it didn't startle him. He mearly sat up and threw his legs over the edge. With a cushion of the couch unoccupied, Noodle sat down next to Murdoc. The bassist waited a moment before speaking up, his eyes on the floor.

"What's wrong?"

"No shiting." Noodle held her stomach.

Murdoc counted the cracks in the floor boards before sighing and walking into the kitchen. Noodle followed. He opened a cabinet and took out a bottle of laxative.

He opened the cap and pour a small amount into the cap. He was about to hand it to her, but then though against it and instead held it out of her reach.

"Now you listen... look at me right now."

She did.

"You been havin' an awful lot of this stuff recently. You're gonna get addicted. This is the last time. Ya hear me? LAST TIME."

Noodle's bottom lip quivered and she shook her head.

"LAST TIME." He handed her the cap. She drank it and then gave it back to him. He rather have her sick from a stomach ache than become a lax junkie.

He walked back to the couch and then curled up on it. She hovered over him for a few moments before pacing up and down the room. He heard her footsteps get faster until she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. After a few moments he heard the toilet flush and her walk out. Without a moment's hesitation she had crawled onto his back and found a comfy position.

"Uuugh..." He growled into his pillow. He was all for hanging out with Noodle, but it was bedtime, goddamnit!

"Murdoc, why red eyes?"

"EYE."

"Why red eye?"

He sighed, and thought of how he could explain it to her so that she'd understand. He took his eye out and then handed it to her. At first she wouldn't take it, he thought, maybe because she was startled. But she soon realized it was plastic and took it in her little hand, examining it.

"You know how parents always say 'I's all fun an' games until somebody loses an eye?' Hmmm? How you shou' never play sword fighting with large sticks you fin' in the yard?"

She didn't answer, so he assumed she didn't understand. He answered his own question.

"Well, damnit, you better listen to them."


End file.
